Sean Warrick is an estate planning adviser at Hellwig & Macon. He is preparing for meetings with two clients. His first clients are Peggy and David Bartley, a professional married couple of moderate wealth. His second clients are Ray and Michelle Polanski, a couple that married late in life and had highly asymmetrical wealth and age. In the case, Warrick is reading a report written by Peter Sullivan, a top estate planning adviser, which considers how estate planning strategies might need to change due to recent changes in estate tax law. Specifically, Warrick must decide whether each couple should continue with their preexisting estate planning strategy, whether they should modify this strategy somewhat, or whether they should abandon their current strategy entirely.

Elaine White is an accountant advising two couples, the Carsons and the Bradleys, regarding their charitable giving options and related tax strategies. The Carsons are an upper-middle class family with $295,000 in income, a moderate amount of deductions, and straightforward charitable giving objectives. The Bradleys are a wealthy couple with substantial assets, a more complex tax situation, and a desire to control the timing and recipients of their charitable contributions. White must consider the objectives of these families in the context of several charitable giving vehicles, including Public Charities, Private Foundations, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Charitable Lead Trusts, Donor-Advised Funds, and Pooled Income Funds.